Jim Byers 60 LeBaron on Tour in Washington DC

Here
is a brief interview we recently had with IML member Jim Byers. All
the pictures displayed on this page are from Jim's Tour around Washington
DC. All the pictures are thumbnails click on the small picture to see full
screen images. If you have questions for Jim, please feel free to
send him a message!

Question:
When did you purchase your first Imperial?

Answer: In 1994 - a 1960 Crown two door Southampton in Midnight
Blue. I was actually looking for a 1960 LeBaron like I currently have,
but none were for sale at the time.

Q: Do you still own it?

A: No, sadly in 1998, I found myself in a situation where I had
to sell the coupe and take a four year break from the hobby. Ironically,
I sold it back to the man I bought it from! He would call me three and
four times a year, just in case I decided to sell the car.

Q: What, if any, restoration did you do
to that car?

A: Over the course of four years, I had most of the necessary
mechanical work redone (brakes, steering, radiator...), and installed
a very straight replacement grille, and rechromed front and rear bumpers.
I was gearing up to have the nylon-cord & leather bench seats reupholstered
when circumstances forced the sale. The car had 72,000 miles when I
sold it, and the engine was just fine...

Q: What is your favorite year Imperial?

A: 1960, without question.

Q: Why is it your favorite? What do
you find appealing about that particular year?

A: I 'discovered' the 1960 Imperial while leafing through
old National Geographic magazines in my grandmother's
living room as a kid in the early 1970's. It was the
ad for the red 1960 LeBaron Southampton ("How's Your
Sporting Blood...?") that got me hooked on the design
of 'mid-century' cars. Personally speaking, I find
the 1960 to be a perfect balance of Exner's earlier
'Forward Look' concepts, with shades of the more
formal 'Neo-Classical' look that followed. To my eye,
the 1960 looks like Virgil Exner's modernized,
'longer, lower, wider' interpretation/abstraction of
classic 1930's automotive styling themes. And while I
love ALL Imperials, including the aforementioned 1961-
63 'Neo-Classic' generation, the 1960 is (again, in my
personal opinion - please, no hate mail - LOL), a less
'literal' interpretation of those same themes.

Old
Capitol Building columns, now located at the National Arboretum

Q: Do you have a favorite Imperial gadget
or styling feature?

A: The Automatic Swivel Seats in my LeBaron thrill me every time I open the door.... As far as styling, 1960 Imperial taillights are a wonder at night - like two floating neon rings suspended behind the car...
It's simply awesome!

Q: Any other automotive gadget or styling
feature that you like or would like to own?

A: The 1958/59 Ford Retractable Hardtops...; the '58-60 Continental retractable rear backlight...; the
'gyroscope'-like clock on 1960 Dodges.... just to name
a few.

Q: What does your Imperial collection consist
of?

At
this point in my life and career, I'm a one-car-at-
a-time guy. But as much as I admire a wide range of '50's-60's
cars, my attachment to the 1960 Imperial is so strong as to
make the choice easy. I found my personal 'dream car' in October,
2002: a 1960 LeBaron Southampton hardtop sedan. It is in #3
condition. Its main 'flaws' are an imperfect "10-footer"
paint
job, and new and well crafted - but incorrect - two- tone blue
vinyl interior. It's virtues? It's a mechanically sound, 54,500
mile, rust-free California car loaded with options, including:
Dual Air Conditioning, Swivel Seats, Flitesweep deck, Mirror-
Matic, automatic headlight dimmer, Touch-Tuner radio w/ power
antenna, right-side mirror, and Auto-Pilot. Combined with the
standard LeBaron goodies (ie: pwr. windows and vents, pwr.
seats, etc...), the car has every major option EXCEPT power
door locks and the Highway Hi-Fi.

Q: What other collector cars do you own today?

A: Just this one.

Q: What other collector cars (at least 20
years old) have you owned in your lifetime?

A: I purchased my first antique car at the age of 12 in
1979 after two years of cutting lawns and shoveling
snow to earn the money. I bought and sold cars
through my teens, upgrading in condition as I went
along. In order, I've had: 1954 Cheverolet; 1954
Ford; 1954 Pontiac Chieftan; 1958 Buick Century hdtp.;
1958 Buick Limited hdtp. (the previous were all 4drs);
1972 Continental Mark IV; 1960 Imperial Crown 2dr.

Q: Which car has been your favorite and
why?

A: As stated, the '60 LeBaron Southampton is my 'dream
car', mostly because of the dramatic styling. The
convergence of 'compound curves' on the LeBaron -
where the fin rises past the enclosed rear roof
panel..., the landau roof bar lunges forward and the
sloped deck trails away... To me, the styling is
positively bewitching.

Capitol West

Arlington National Cemetery

Q: What are your future plans for your present
collection?
A: I feel like I got just what I was looking for: a
mechanically solid, presentable car that I'm not
'afraid to drive' on sunny weekends... Down the line,
I'd like to have the car repainted in the correct
metallic Midnight Blue (current paint is non-
metallic), rechrome the bumpers and a couple of minor
parts, and have the interior redone in correct full
metallic leather.

Q: Do you have any, "I can't believe
I let that car get away from me" stories?

A: I passed up a 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham with a
straight body, very minor surface rust and a good
original interior for $1,500 back in 1982. It wasn't
running, and the broken air suspension had the car
down on it's haunches, but still... It makes you
think. I bought a 1958 Buick Limited instead.

Q:
Do you have any funny or interesting stories about purchasing an old
car?

A: As a 12-15 year old kid running around buying old cars, every transaction
was 'funny' - LOL. My parents came with me, but I 'took the lead' and
bought the cars (driving them was illegal - not owning them...). It
was fun to watch people's eyes bug out at this little 'pint-sized' car
buff. It was funny, though, when I pulled into a used car lot to 'trade-in'
my 1958 Century 4dr Riviera for a 1958 Limited 4dr Riviera (the sales
people got a kick out of that....).

Q: Are there any other collector cars (besides
Imperials) that you would like to own?

A: The very first car I would add to my collection would be a
1957 De Soto Fireflite or Adventurer. The design is so singularly striking.
I also admire: 1960 Chrysler New Yorker (my dad had a black coupe when
I was small...); 1960 Dodge Polara; 1953, 1955 or 56 Packard Caribbean
or Four Hundred; 1956 Lincoln Premiere; 1956 Continental Mark II; 1954
Pontiac Star Chief ; 1961 Thunderbird; 1966 Pontiac Bonneville; 1965
Buick Riviera,

Q: Do you belong to any other antique car
clubs?

A: The Chrysler Product Owner's Club; the WPC Club; and the Straight
Eights - the Washington, DC chapter of the Lambda Car Club);

Q: What
is the best car museum you have ever visited?

Oddly, I haven't been
to very many car museums, but I
really enjoyed the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles. I
guess I really prefer experiencing cars 'al fresco' as
opposed to 'under glass' (LOL).

Q: What was the best car show you ever attended?

A: Mopar Nationals/Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Summer, 2002, where
I finally got a chance to meet several IML members face-to-face. It
was my first big car show in four years, and I could literally SMELL
the Mopars... I was truly light-headed. Besides, just KNOWING that I
was finally in the market for another Imperial had me dizzy. LOL

Q: Do you have a favorite car related book
or movie?

A:Book: a forgotten tome from the late 1950's called
"The Hidden Persuaders" by Vance Packard. It was, I
believe, one of the first books to explore the
'science' of corporate marketing. It has a very
insightful chapter on the factors that REALLY drive
most people to buy cars (ie: image, and not
quality/merit. as one might think). It explains much
about the Imperial Division's difficulty establishing
itself as a luxury marque.

Movie: "Sunset
Boulevard" (1950) - In convincing 'Joe'
(William Holden) that he won't miss his reposessed
Plymouth convertible, 'Norma Desmond' (Gloria Swanson)
sums up how every antique car hobbyist feels about
their personal rolling museum, telling him: "What do
you need a car for...? We have a car!! An Issotta-
Fraschini. Have you ever HEARD of an Isotta-
Fraschini? All hand-made... Not made of chromium and
SPIT like these new contraptions...., cost me Twenty-
eight THOUSAND Dollaaaarrrs!"

We
would like to thank Jim Byers for sharing his wonderful Imperial with us!!
Please check back next month when we will be spotlighting another Imperial
Club member.